The Date and Location Date: July 6, 2002 Location: The National Action Network (NAN) headquarters in Harlem, New York City. The Context Michael Jackson appeared alongside Reverend Al Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran to publicly launch a campaign against major record labels, accusing them of systemic corruption and exploiting minority recording artists. At the time, Jackson was locked in a fierce, highly publicized contract dispute with Sony Music Entertainment over the promotion of his 2001 album *Invincible* and the ownership rights to his master recordings. What Was Said During his speech, Jackson took direct aim at the then-CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola. In front of a crowd of roughly 350 people, Jackson stated: "The record companies really, really do conspire against the artists. They steal, they cheat, they do whatever they can. Especially against the Black artists... Tommy Mottola is the president of the record division. He is mean, he’s a racist, and he’s very, very, very devilish." Jackson then went on to allege that Mottola had used a severe anti-Black slur when speaking about an unnamed Black artist signed to the label, stating to the crowd: "He called him a 'fat, Black [n-word].' And I can’t deal with that, you know. It’s wrong." The Aftermath Following the rally, Jackson led a protest outside of Sony's Midtown Manhattan headquarters, where fans carried signs mocking Mottola. Sony Music strictly denied the allegations, calling Jackson's comments "spiteful," "hurtful," and "ludicrous," pointing out that Mottola had historically championed the careers of many legendary Black artists. Al Sharpton also clarified shortly after the event that the protests were centered on structural industry practices regarding artist compensation, rather than a personal feud between Jackson and Mottola. Mottola ultimately stepped down from his position at Sony Music in January 2003. Funnily enough the false allegations of S abuse would be thrown at Michael Jackson only months later in 2003. One big conspiracy against Michael Jackson? I believe so💯 - @legendsin4kremast